"I'm absolutely serious," Alaric said, looking at the Ancient Sun God with a straight face. "Aucuses's obsession is clearly tied to you. His deepest humanity revolves around you. So, if you give him something in return, it's likely to work, right? It's worth a try... no loss either way. Don't you want Aucuses to reclaim more of himself?"
Aucuses, standing nearby, was utterly confused, as Alaric's earlier "my son" was spoken in English, which he didn't understand.
The Ancient Sun God considered for a moment before turning to Aucuses. "You probably already know this, but it just occurred to me that I've never told you directly."
"What?" Aucuses asked, puzzled, his heart suddenly racing for reasons he couldn't pinpoint.
"I've always been grateful I saved you in time, Aucuses," The Ancient Sun God said, his gaze warm. "You were the first child I saved, the first I raised by my side. I've always seen you as my eldest son."
Aucuses visibly froze, his eyes widening, hands and feet at a loss for where to settle, a weightless feeling washing over him.
What had he just heard?
Was he hallucinating?
His lord… saw him as his eldest son?
It wasn't his fault for reacting so strongly... such a thought was beyond his wildest dreams.
It was as if Medici suddenly stopped being snarky and started spouting sweet words. Anyone would be stunned.
"Tch, he's gone all stiff. Should we bury him?" Alaric teased, poking Aucuses's arm before shaking his head with mock seriousness.
The Ancient Sun God glanced at him helplessly, then looked at Aucuses with concern. "Are you alright, Aucuses?"
"I-I'm fine, my lord… I just… I think I'm hallucinating…" Aucuses stammered, completely flustered, looking nothing like the dignified, proud Eternal Blazing Sun and more like a nervous young man fresh out of school.
"It's no hallucination," The Ancient Sun God said, shaking his head earnestly. "I truly see you as my eldest son. I love you, as I love all my children."
Aucuses's mind seemed to crash entirely.
Thud...
He collapsed.
The Ancient Sun God blinked, rushing to check on him, but before he could, Aucuses scrambled back to his feet.
"Sorry, my lord, I was too… I just…" Aucuses's expression was a chaotic mix of joy, embarrassment, guilt, and excitement. He looked at the Ancient Sun God. "I'm so happy!"
The Ancient Sun God paused, then smiled warmly, patting Aucuses's head. "I know. I'm happy too."
"Tsk tsk!" Alaric clicked his tongue, then elbowed Amon, who had appeared out of nowhere. "Hey, Mon, don't you feel like your home's been stolen?"
Amon glanced at him, adjusting his monocle with a smile. "I don't mind. Father only has one true child... me."
"Really?" Alaric said skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Your fist looks like it's about to swing."
Indeed, while one hand adjusted his monocle, Amon's other was clenched tightly, as if itching to punch someone.
Given Amon's status as a heavyweight in the "father-adoration" category, that punch was clearly aimed at Aucuses.
"Ahem…" Hearing their exchange, even the Ancient Sun God coughed awkwardly, avoiding Amon's gaze.
It was like petting a stray cat in front of your house cat... anyone would feel a bit guilty.
Aucuses, now standing, calmly adjusted his disheveled clothes from the fall while sneaking a glance at Amon.
If Alaric wasn't mistaken, it was a provocative look.
Amon didn't miss it either, his lips curling slightly. "Interesting!"
Hiss!
Seeing this, Alaric sucked in a breath, shaking his head at the Ancient Sun God. "Terrifying. Your old man Medici's got nothing on you! You're practically a divine charmer!"
The Ancient Sun God looked at him helplessly. "Do you really have to drag Medici into this?"
"He's one of the kids too, isn't he? Sure, he prefers Sasrir, but a dad can't play favorites!" Alaric said with a grin. "Besides, family wars are livelier with more players."
Even the Ancient Sun God's mouth twitched at that.
He shook his head helplessly and turned to Amon. "Amon, is everything settled over there?"
"They're done fighting," Amon replied, then abruptly asked, "If Aucuses is your eldest son, Father, what does that make Adam?"
The Ancient Sun God paused, looking at Amon with mild exasperation. "Amon, you already know... Adam is me."
"But I don't see it that way," Amon said, shaking his head. As a firm believer in distinct personalities equating to distinct beings, he wouldn't consider Adam the same as the Ancient Sun God just because he was once an avatar. "Just like I never saw the True Creator as my father."
"That's how it is, though, and Adam sees it that way too," The Ancient Sun God said, clearly uninterested in debating this unsolvable issue with his son. He shifted the topic, turning to Alaric. "Let's check on the situation over there. If anyone's badly hurt, they'll need treatment."
Even the Ancient Sun God got flustered dealing with family drama.
Alaric raised an eyebrow but didn't object, nodding. "Sure thing!"
He then turned to Aucuses with a smile. "Aucuses, want to come take a look?"
Aucuses wasn't sure what was going on but could guess... Roselle's presence was unmistakable.
He nodded, then asked curiously, "Has Roselle's corruption been dealt with?"
As the main force behind Roselle's demise back then, Aucuses knew about his corruption.
Or rather, it was precisely because of that corruption that Aucuses had been determined to eliminate him. A corrupted Sequence 0 was too dangerous to exist.
"Temporarily, yeah," Alaric said with a smile, offering no further explanation.
Aucuses's expression grew curious, but he could tell Alaric wasn't keen on elaborating. So, he turned his hopeful gaze to the Ancient Sun God, seeking answers from his revered lord.
***
Every 100 Power Stones and 5 Reviews will earn you a Bonus Chapter.
And if you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)